Among other functions, the counselor identifies educational needs in the center, in the classrooms, and in the students, or in other words, the prevention and detection of learning problems, coordinates the psycho-pedagogical evaluation, and prepares the psycho-pedagogical report.
Time passes inexorably for everyone in the same way as for the educational counselor, who, in their “celestial vault” of macro-activities specified in “stars” of professional tasks, even with the best will, dedication, and know-how, can find themselves not only overwhelmed but also faced with paradoxes.
The ratio that counselors handle (an average of 800, far from the 250 students per counselor recommended by UNESCO) forces professionals to stretch themselves thin, not allowing them to attend to students with the rigor they should. They cannot PREVENT AND DETECT EARLY but rather “put out fires.” This sector is key to curbing school failure and offering INCLUSIVE EDUCATION, focused on ATTENTION TO DIVERSITY.
Some functions of the educational counselor
- Advises the pedagogical coordination and attention to diversity commission, as well as the management team and teachers, on the constructive elements of the curricular projects.
- Participates in the planning and development of curricular adaptations aimed at students who need them, as well as in diversification and social guarantee programs.
- Collaborates with tutors in the preparation of academic and professional guidance.
- Coordinates, especially in Infant and Primary education, with other resources that may be offered by Medical Services, Social Services, and community resources.
- Advice to families and…
All this immense deployment with the laudable objective that minors carry out their development in all senses but more focused on the educational one and, whatever their need, in the most optimized way.
But let’s focus on two of the functions that we have not mentioned so far, being the same the main pivot on which the rest of the machinery would revolve. The counselor identifies the educational needs in the center, in the classrooms, and in the students, or in other words, the prevention and detection of learning problems. Let it be clear that they do not carry out clinical diagnoses or therapeutic interventions. And the other mainstay, when required, coordinates the psycho-pedagogical evaluation and prepares the psycho-pedagogical report.
The reality that the counselor faces daily is arduous and complex because it is common for them to work with a large ratio of minors, which is objectively not viable with traditional exploration systems, neither due to the time cost nor the economic cost, dedicating themselves mainly to cases of students with more evident signs, or to those who come with some diagnosis, to others, giving recommendations to teachers or parents and being under observation, but a large percentage remains without receiving the attention they may need.
When we have referred to the paradox, it lies in the immense work carried out by the counselor generating programs, projects, advice in order to attend to diversity, but they lack the means to know with certainty what that “normal diversity” is
Tools for counselors that save time and costs
Mario Criado, educational counselor of the S. Juan de Dios La Goleta school, commented that with the ratio that counselors of schools handle, it is impossible to attend to all the specific needs, even the teachers stop referring the visible cases because they are aware of the lack of resources.
With the dìde tool for the early detection of up to thirty-five indicators that cover learning, developmental, emotional, and behavioral difficulties and in ages between two and eighteen years, no percentage of minors is left without assessment, whether their need is mild and temporary, or constant.
“We have seen a very significant change since the implementation of dìde in our center, especially in the relationship with families,” the counselor explains the ease of use and how dìde adapts to families, facilitating the monitoring of the methodology. As for the teachers, Mario continues, despite the reservations due to the saturation they already suffer, they have realized that with dìde they observe the students better and discover that with their observations they can identify opportunities for improvement that will undoubtedly favor the future and well-being of the minor.
The orientation professionals value very positively the ease of use and speed, as well as the fact of being a participatory screening tool, since it includes all the observers who want to intervene from all areas of the minor and without the minor collaborating or completing any questionnaire.
As expressed by the professionals who have already implemented the new dìde detection system, the benefit has been quantitative and qualitative, in time, in economic cost but especially in truly knowing what the real needs of their students are and from there how to work for their full development in an inclusive education. The dìde instrument has also been useful for them to rectify erroneous diagnoses in some minors. They have gained space, communication, and cooperation with families since the dìde system allows this flow of interaction for the greater good of the minor. Another advantage that the dìde digital tool provides to professionals is the guidelines reports for parents and teachers that are generated jointly and immediately with the results reports.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OKalHbVC6o&t=775s
We are satisfied and always in constant evolution to be able to contribute to the mission that every child is adequately attended to in their real need and receives an inclusive education.
Any small change can lead to a great transformation. “The flapping of a butterfly’s wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world.”
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